Santa Fe International Hostel

I absolutely loved this place, and I don’t say that much about places. Firstly, it had a great sense of community. People offered to help you before you even asked for it. People smiled a lot here. It was a great meeting place for travelers. You meet an eclectic group of people who are really interested in connecting. People here like to exercise, particularly outdoors, to cook, and make art. There were yoga trainers, meditation students, and people on journeys of self-​discovery. You can give and get travel ideas in the area from these people and even find travel partners if you like. The food was free! It was also very healthy and tasty. So that was another way to connect with people eating the same foods. The kitchen was the main communal area, and as someone who likes to cook, that was amazing. The courtyard is extremely comfortable. The overall area also had similar traits.
This is a great place for all travelers, but particularly for young ones who are on a budget. I will probably be coming back, even though I live in Maryland.

Super creepy, very dirty. No deadbolt, or slide lock device on the door, just a push and turn lock on the door knob. It is a combo junk yard and hostel. They will not even show you your room before you pay for it. I’ve stayed at many hostels, that I would return to, not this place. Also it’s right on a highway so it’s very noisy. Yes they have a lot of free food, yet if you don’t feel safe it’s not worth it.

Can I give this place negative stars?! Creepy. Disgusting. Filthy. Dishonest. Crappy place to stay. Don’t do it!

Several years ago, during my first visit to Santa Fe, I was excited to stay at this hostel. I was on a bicycle tour from Chicago to Los Angeles and had, thus far, experienced nothing but the upmost hospitality along the road. We arrived in Santa Fe and I contacted the hostel by phone to ensure they had rooms for the night. I confirmed this with the person who answered the phone. Within the hour, we arrived at the hostel. We were exhausted from traveling and had not showered in two days because a thunderstorm had delayed our ride from Las Vegas. I walked inside, eager for a warm shower, comfortable bed, and the opportunity to explore the city. When I approached the front desk, the woman working said, «this hostel is for travelers, not for… people» with a disgusted smirk. She refused to let us stay the night. It is likely the most rude thing I have ever had said to me, before or since. We *were* travelers, college students, and upright citizens… though she likely assumed that because we were so road-​worn that we were also homeless. It is unthinkable that someone would turn us away on our cross-​country bicycle ride because of our appearance – we weren’t homeless, but even if we were, what an inhumane way to treat someone! We ended up at a hotel down the street, but to this day the inhospitality of the front desk is still remarkable to me. It certainly colored my perception of the hostel, as well as Santa Fe.

Pros: Price, location, autolock on door, in suite restroom, free food (if you want to go there)
Cons: chores, uncomfortable beds, no in room locker, freezing water in shower and sinks, hidden outlets (must move bed), questionable area, cash only, junky exterior
Note: $ 10 key deposit
Upon arrival I noticed a strange man hiding in the bushes next to the parking lot. Needless to say, I kept my distance. He kept trying to get me to take a chair from him. He became quite agitated when I kept my distance and said no thanks. I waited until the coast was clear before I proceeded.
Upon entrance I was informed that there was a $ 10 key deposit (which would have been great to know in advance when dealing with a cash only facility — to make sure you had enough on you).
In addition, at 11p or so and after a long day of hiking, etc I was dead tired and planning an early start the next day. It was awesome at that time to be informed that I would have to do a chore between 7a & 11a the next day. I informed them of my plans to just shower, sleep and leave super early so they «allowed» me to do my chore that night.
It was late, for only 1 night and I was too tired to find somewhere else. Needless to say, I chose something quick and easy as possible. Some random employee actually stood there and watched me do the chore the entire time. As I did my chore, I got to watch them spring this little piece of information about the chore requirement on others and see their reactions. It was pretty amusing — not for the desk staff but for me.
The next am, as I’m leaving I’m 3^rd degreed by a 3^rd employee as to my chore. He wouldn’t even check me out or give me my key deposit though I had already given him the key! That is until he checked and verified that I was the one who had done my chore the night before.
WTF? You made me pay you and do a chore to stay in your questionable facility with uncomfortable beds and then give me crap at a** crack in the am to give me back my KEY deposit? And if I hadn’t done my chore? What? Were they going to keep my «key deposit» or refuse to let me leave? (Yes, the vibe was that creepy.)
Just say NO!

I loved this place! Great prices, good free food, interesting and kind people.

Good for a cheap place to stay for a couple of nights. My private room was very simple, not the cleanest but what do you expect when the guests clean their own rooms? They wash the sheets but I’m not sure about the blankets… there were a bunch of hairs on the blankets that weren’t mine. Kind of irked me a bit but I’m not that picky. The chores weren’t so bad, mine was just cleaning one of the showers and it took 5 minutes but I also picked the one that seemed easiest :) I loved the free food and there was a lot of it! It was good food, stuff from whole foods, a bunch of fresh pastries. I didn’t get the vibe that anyone wanted to meet or hang out, the lobby seemed more businessy than loungey. Maybe some more recommendations posted in the lobby would be helpful :)

Where do I start? I guess, interaction. The «volunteers» were nice. (I put «volunteers» in quotes because I suspect they get room/​board free and they get free donated deliveries from places like Whole Foods. «Volunteers» denotes someone that does something for nothing. The «volunteers» here are more like participates in a commune setting.) 5 of the volunteers truly engaged us, offered us tips on the city, were generally helpful people. One volunteer made an annoying comment about the food situation. (I later learned, and suspected, the people that work there get best dibs on the donated Whole Foods booty and take a good amount of the good food themselves. But what is really Whole Foods «bad?» Nothing, truly. Anyway, there was an abundance of food, as it had been delivered that morning and I guess someone told on us in the kitchen for taking too much «free» food. A pet peeve of mind is «free» not really, being free. And because of the condition of the rooms, we deserved something.)
Anyway, I am a «spot-​a-​phobe.» It’s like a germaphobe, but I’m not actually afraid of the germs, I’m afraid of seeing gross, unidentifiable spots in places they don’t belong; like above my head on a bed in a room shared by thousands of people. The appearance of cleanliness should be actively striven for in this situation. SFIH doesn’t care about perceived cleanliness and that seems a no-​no in a communal, health-​focused setting. Anyway, I’ll post pictures, but the crud on the walls forced me into a really bad sleep both nights. I was paralyzed in the center of my bed hoping I wouldn’t accidentally touch the filthy walls while I was asleep!
The chores are not bad and I think the chores are the only way this hostel is upkept. It pains me to see certain owners in business just because they have funds. A fresh coat of paint would have helped my room infinitely. It’s not that hard! The walls looked like someone had actively splattered stuff all over them. There was a filthy and broken portable closet in my room with mismatched hangers, 1 desk and 1 dresser I didn’t even want to go near. Please just go to IKEA or the local thrift shop and do all future guests a favor: care about your business and your customers! Pay $ 50 for a can of paint, $ 10 for 5 wooden hangers from IKEA, another $ 130 to IKEA for your choice of a desk/​drawer, or any combination thereof, and for $ 190, you’ve decided to make the room not appear contagious.
Lastly, I have been in the nonprofit world for over 10 years and I understand how it works. Charging $ 45.00 a night for this setting is not a nonprofit unless you are employing recovering drug addicts, mental health patients, underrepresented minorities and others who rarely have a fair chance at employment, but I digress because I know how to brand a grant as well as mimic IRS templates…
I recommend solo people that really, really, really need to interact with others, stay here. As stated, 99% of the people were pleasant and welcoming. It’s actually a decent walk from «downtown» but in late April it was a chilly walk (rather pleasant and much needed for us) and if you come here in mid-​May, I think it would actually be a beautiful Spring walk; and a city bus goes right past it. But $ 45/​night for 3 people to stay at what seems like a really cheap motel as opposed to a hostel, is a bit steep for me. I mean, you can get a decent hotel room for about $ 1 to $ 12 dollars more.

I really looked forward to staying here on my XC drive. I like to check out hostels and was also super poor so the price was right. The night I arrived was totally 1 – 2 stars. The second half was 3 – 4 stars. We originally planned to stay in town for 2 nights, but decided to hit the road after the first night, we later would’ve liked to have stayed, but we already had set ourselves on leaving.
Night: The guy at the desk was really hard to deal with and seemed a bit like a sociopath of some sort. He treats you like you are unwelcome in-​laws staying in his bed while he is on the couch. He kind of looks like a Canadian Mark Wahlberg. The room was cold and technically has a bathroom, but you can’t access it. The heat didn’t turn on so we tried to switch to another room. Luckily we were able to, but it was a bit of a hassle. We were here in November and arrived late in the evening — it was very cold at night.
I adjusted my car, which was loaded with all our belongings from moving across country. Apparently it was a handicap spot, which ticked the sociopath guy off, although I apologized emphatically. We were also given a stern warning about how the cleaning routine works.
Day: I woke up early so I could get a good pick of the chores and also took my girlfriend’s chore for her (wife now, perhaps because I’m good like this?! — haha). I think I swept up crumbs from the toaster and wiped down a table. Although poor, I’d rather have paid a few bucks extra to avoid this and being treated like a roommate instead of a valued guest.
I chatted with another one of the workers, a cool artist guy who used to live in NYC. He gave a good café recommendation (Aztec Café) He was a cool guy and the other workers were too. If they checked me in I would’ve had a totally different experience. The guests staying there were cool and very eclectic. Students in town to volunteer to rehab one of the local parks, a mother visiting her son, other nice folks.
The kitchen is huge! And whole foods donates slightly old food so there is a smörgåsbord of free options to be had. The volunteers were leaving town and hooked us up with tons of top shelf meat and salmon and stuff that they had left over.
Summary: Totally a Jekyll and Hyde experience. The lack of free wifi and seeming nickel-​and-​diming of folks might help account for the low cost, but I’ve seen cheaper hostels that are run better too. The location is not great either, but not terrible if you have a car — I prefer walkable though. The street is an old school route 66-​esque strip (hence this throwback hotel-​cum-​hostel).
I don’t know if I’d go back, but I would still kinda recommend or stay if I had to.

When moving to Santa Fe a couple months back, I booked a private room in this hostel for four nights until I found a place to live. After experiencing one night here, I canceled the rest.
I spent three months backpacking through Europe solely utilizing hostels. Where ever I travel in the US, if there’s a hostel, I enjoy it. The worst hostel I’ve ever been in is better than Santa Fe International Hostel. Here’s why.
1. It’s not within walking distance of the Plaza, downtown, art districts or fairs. The main attractions that people come to Santa Fe for are not close. Remember, this is the desert, walking for a long distance in the summer is rarely an option, unless you are of lizard origin.
2. It’s on Cerrillos St., the busiest, loudest, most congested street in Santa Fe.
3. The rooms are deplorable. Dirty, old, worn out. (guests have to clean ~ I wonder if they double check to make sure the guest before you cleaned at all?)
4. The kitchen and common areas are no better.
5. Their free breakfast is day old food donated from local bakeries. So is the free food they give out in the kitchen. Look at expiration dates before consuming!
6. Guests staying more than one day are expected to choose a duty. You have to clean something within the hostel. By the looks of it, I suspect this is their only mode of cleanliness. Do they hire someone to clean?
7. They only accept cash and couldn’t give me change for my larger bill. If you are a cash only business, Be. Able. To. Make. Change. (I about blew a gasket at this one upon checking in.)
8. You may not view the rooms before staying. They won’t show you around until after you’re a paying customer. (this is even stated on their website.)
9. No free wi-​fi.
Here’s the Positive:
1. It’s affordable. $ 25 for private; $ 18 for dorm.
2. Free Food provided.
3. The outdoor area is lovely (worn out & falling apart furniture, yet lovely.)
4. Free parking.
I understand the owner’s philosophy: maintain the integrity of a traditional hostel. How’s that working out? From a business sense, it seems «change or die» may be unfolding here. There’s no change going on. The building, the contents of the building, even the parking lot appear to be the exact same as when this place first opened. I wonder if the owner/​s have put any money back into their business? I would guess not.
I suggest checking out airbnb dot com to find a truly great stay. People rent out space or rooms in their houses and there are many near the Plaza & Canyon Rd. Just as affordable and way, way, way nicer. There’s a whole review system set up to check for safety.

Really cool old building. Very nice patio area where you can watch the sunset. Kind of far from the city center. The only thing that turned me off was they had roaches in the kitchen.

Staff cares about the place and they try hard to keep the place clean, maintained and welcoming in spite of the owner’s chronic reluctance to spend money on maintenance.
The donated food from the local Whole Foods can be a real money saver and it encourages people to mix in the huge and nicely equipped kitchen.
The morning chores are simple and easy to complete.
It’s best to look the place up on the net before arriving so you’ll be aware of policies like the cash-​only basis.
There is never any lack of good conversation available, which can be nice after a day on the road.

Look, the bottom line with the hostel is that you’re going to get what you pay for. I’ve stayed here numerous times because all I wanted was a place to sleep and cook some food. Is it fancy? no. Are they going to invest any money into renovations of any kind? doubtful. Plan accordingly.
The dorms are $ 10/​night with a chore, which can be as simple as sweeping the front stoop or taking out the trash. The beds are not always very comfy, but if you bring a sleeping bag it can make a world of difference. The private rooms are better and equally affordable if you have 3 or 4 people splitting it.
They have a huge kitchen, very convenient if you want to cook your own meals.
The folks running around there can be pretty interesting. It’s quiet at night, people generally leave you alone. Sucks there’s no free internet, but again, beats sleeping in your car.

It was fun staying at this hostel with my family or 3. The host was friendly and a traveler as well who decided to stay on for a few months. Very warm atmosphere.
My wife and I were tired of the normal motel fare and decided to stay at a hostel during our visit to Santa Fe. John, a street performer/​artist, who makes balloon animals in the old Santa Fe square, recommended this hostel to us. First off, you have to have out of state id, you must agree to do chores the next morning, you may not drink, smoke or do drugs while in the rooms. There is a $ 10 deposit per room key issued which they return to you in cash the next day. Oh yeah, it’s cash or traveler’s cheeks only so go to the ATM first.
You have a choice between communal lodging, private room with shared bathroom, or private room with private bathroom. The prices are cheaper than a motel because they don’t have to pay for house keepers because the guests (us) do the chores in the morning. I think I chose to sweep the hallways.
Everything in the kitchen that isn’t marked with someones name, is up for grabs. They get a lot of their food from the local whole foods as a donation because they are not for profit hostel.
There is a piano in the lobby as well as computers that you can use. The rooms have hard shiny floors which you must sweep in the morning, and the beds are old metal frames with comfy mattresses. Old flower power curtains were a nice homey touch.
It’s a pity there weren’t more travelers on our visit here to mingle with, but definitely worth a stay if you’re low on dough and want to add some spice to your travel itinerary.

Had a great experience during my trip to Santa Fe… and the Hostel played a big part in it! My room was magical, and the people were very friendly. A wonderful place to stay, really felt like «home». Big reccomendation from me.

My grandpa was turning 90, we had very little to spend, and needed a cheap place to stay for a couple days. This was much cheaper than any hotels in the area, and we didn’t have much choice.
The place has its charms, but overall… ehhhhh. It was kind of gross. We got a private room for something like $ 45 a night for two people. Our room had a double bed AND two bunk beds.
The room was clean enough. There’s a kitchen full of food you can use for free. There’s a common area with board games, a piano and guitar, and it was kind of fun to hang out and chat with the employees and other travellers. The hostel volunteers I met were pleasant enough people.
The downsides: The furniture and carpeting in our room was dilapidated, the shower dripped constantly so the bathroom floor was always wet. The knob on our door locked, but the lock itself was gone and a plastic grocery bag was stuffed in its place. Whoever had the room before us left a big wad of hair in the shower drain. You have to pay $ 2 a day to use the Wi-​fi, which was slow as molasses.
I’ve been in bands and gone on tour, so I’ve stayed in worse places, but I’ll say that I’ve never paid money to stay in a worse place. Would I stay there again? Yeah. I’m broke and love my grandpa. But I wouldn’t recommend it if you can afford someplace nicer.

Alright. Santa Fe is a cool town, but it’s expensive. This hostel offers a good, clean place to sleep that isn’t far from center town, and the prices are the best you’ll find. You have to do a light chore (cleaning bathroom, vacuuming, sweeping, etc.), you have to pay $ 1 for Internet, and you have to make sure to look over the food you’re eating. Those are the «downsides.»
Truth is, the chores are easy, the food is plentiful, the Internet is quick, and the people are good. There were three people behind the desk while we were there. College kid who we had a long conversation with about religion, An angry gnome who was almost comically unfriendly, and a totally awesome & helpful (Susan?) woman who was full of warmth and info.
It’s a hostel, take the good with the bad, or pay for a more expensive place.

You have to work for your room here. Not really.
You do have to do chores if you stay more than one night. If you stay one night you have to sweep and mop your own room. Basically they want it looking the way it was before you got there. No big deal.
They also have free food. They get donations from some of the local grocery stores. Most of it is day old or a few days old so be careful. I didn’t end up partaking in this part.
A comfy place to sleep. $ 25 plus a $ 10 deposit which you will get back, will get you your own private room with a shared bathroom.

My boyfriend and I were coming into Santa Fe and looking for somewhere that was cheap, outside of the most touristy area. We opted for this hostel rather than one of the motels on the same street because it was slightly cheaper than the others (we paid 30 dollars for a private room here).
Had we not stayed at an awesome hostel just the night before in Flagstaff, AZ I might not have had such high standards for what a hostel in the US could be like. But we did, so sorry Santa Fe hostel, you just didn’t really cut it.
First of all, the man working the front desk in the afternoon was not very hospitable (I’m putting it nicely here) from the very beginning. He didn’t let us take a look at the place before committing to staying there (citing «security reasons»), and didn’t really seem like he wanted to answer any questions at all until we paid. When we did, he was happy to leave his post and show us around and give us a rundown of the place.
You have to do chores here. There are a limited amount of chores you can do, so if you get up past 9 am or so you’ll get last pick. My boyfriend cleaned one of the bathrooms as our chore (wasn’t that bad) and I had to clean our room before we left. You have to put your own sheets on when you get there, then take them off and vacuum the place before you leave. There is no air conditioning, and we had a fan that barely even blew a breeze. It was hot. When you leave, they will come with you to check that you did everything correctly, and they’re not very nice about that either. Basically, everyone who works there could use a serious lesson in manners.
I imagine that if you stayed here for more than a day like we did you’d get used to it, and the bathrooms are actually pretty clean and the kitchen is nice. They get food donations from the local Whole Foods after they expire, so you have to pick through what’s still good. It’s a good place to cook if you’re trying to budget.
I really wouldn’t have been so down on this place if they had been nicer.

They make you do chores
it’s clean because of it
they had a bad attitude though